Learning music has been shown to be an enormously beneficial educational aid. It can help to develop IQ, improve social skills, boost motivation, and enhance concentration. The key to successful teaching is to introduce children early on to the concept of not only listening to music, but also of playing it. Orffs ideas have endured because they work - children love to wallop, thump and bash things, and it is far more productive to direct these energies at musical instruments than at each other! But the most important word for any musical education is fun - there is little point in making music for the sake of it (and its not as if many musicians are highly paid). So, whatever musical path is right for your child, make sure its paved with laughter, enjoyment and delight - they will pay your efforts back a thousand-fold with their first recital.